Danny Ainge likes Celtics' parts, not whole

Wednesday

Apr 16, 2014 at 11:26 PM

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

BOSTON — Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge wasn't sure how to assess his team's losing season. "It was a long season," he said Wednesday at the Garden. Then Ainge corrected himself.

"I guess not that long, but it was tough, a tough year," he said.

The Celtics season actually ended early, without advancing to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, but all the losses made the season seem like it lasted longer than usual.

"I don't think the team was a great fit, a great mix," Ainge admitted, "but individually I liked what I saw from almost every player. I just feel like we didn't have the size inside to protect the rim. I thought that was a big factor that cost us a lot of games, and we didn't finish a lot of games down the stretch."

Brad Stevens said he learned a lot in his first season as an NBA head coach.

"The one thing that I probably learned about myself," he said, "is that it's been very difficult to not be very good, right? It's hard not being a team that's contending for a playoff spot, or contending for bigger things than that."

Stevens said he was proud of his team's effort most nights, but not of the team's win-loss record. Celtics fans may be turning their attention to the lottery on May 20 and the NBA draft on June 26, but Stevens isn't — at least not yet.

"I think I'm looking forward to taking a deep breath," he said, "and reevaluating this year first and reevaluating and sitting down with all of our players and talking about the best way that they can improve moving forward."

Stevens plans to remain in Boston this summer, but he'll travel to Orlando to oversee practices for the Celtics' summer league team. He plans to have one of his assistant coaches coach the summer league games, though.

Stevens also plans to watch the NBA playoffs and a lot of video of his own players.

"I do owe my 4-year-old daughter two hours," he said, "to watch 'Frozen' with her for the 18,000th time."

Referring to offseason moves, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said he expected fireworks this summer. Ainge was coy when asked if he expected them as well.

"Yeah, I think on the Fourth of July, we'll have some fireworks," he said with a smile.

Other than that?

"I don't know," Ainge said. "We're hopeful. I have some ideas and some plans that I'd like to do, but there are just no guarantees that we can do it. We need to find good trading partners. We always are trying to make fireworks. Every summer, we try to do something that's unique and special and we will definitely try this summer."

The Celtics have two first-round picks this year and up to 10 over the next five years. They'll also try to sign free agents.

"There's not very many difference-makers in the free-agent class right now," Ainge said, "but we also don't know. There's a lot of players with player options and team options and so, like, let's wait and see who the free-agent class is until I comment on it."

Ainge remains a big believer in Stevens.

"I have no worries about Brad," he said. "Brad is maybe the only thing in this whole organization I'm not concerned about."

That may be true, but Ainge spoke highly of every player he was asked about, from Jeff Green to Avery Bradley to Jared Sullinger to rookie Kelly Olynyk. He especially praised his captain, Rajon Rondo.

"I think Rajon will have the best year of his career next year," Ainge said. "That's what I think. I think he's sort of at the phase of his life where he's matured, he's just smarter, the game's slower to him. I think he'll be really healthy and fresher with a summer of strengthening.

"He's sort of past all the mental anguish of coming back from the knee surgery and the ACL and that's been sort of a pattern of guys in the past. The first few 30, 20 games, whatever, is an adjustment period. So I'm confident that he'll have the best year of his career."

As Ainge said, he liked what he saw of his players individually, but not what they accomplished as a team.

Celtics fans will find out this summer if he'll bring many of them back.